Door Hinges » Continuous Door Hinges

Sometimes, we can get too caught up in memorizing the small details. In martial arts and self defense, we don't have time to get bogged down with a lot of memorization -- especially not during a street fight.

For example, when you go through a door, do you look to see whether it opens in or out? Whether the hinges are on the left or the right? What about when you go into a restaurant? How about the door to the restroom? How about the door on the stall, inside the restroom?

If someone were to decide to kick in the stall door, knowing whether the door swings in toward the stall, or outward, into the restroom could be important. One direction is distinctly easier for your attacker to kick in.

Now, here's the real point of this article:

Some martial arts teachers require too much memorization from their students for any practical application.

Reread that last sentence.

Now, we could contrast styles with a minimum of moves versus those with all sorts of hair-brained techniques and sequences. Instead, let's examine ... the hinge of the stall door! (No, I haven't lost my mind.)

If you are technique heavy, then your approach might be to try to remember the doors in every public restaurant, store, and restroom you ever visit. The fish house, has inward doors, with the hinge on the left. The fancy steak house out on the highway has outward doors with hinges on the left. The restaurant down the street has ...

You will spend your time trying to remember every little detail, every possible situation, every bathroom hinge orientation. Will this information be practical to you, when you need it? Will you be able to avoid a door being kicked or swung in your face? Will you know the orientation of any particular door, in case you have need of an impromptu weapon in a self-defense situation?

Instead, learn how to instantly recognize the the various door latches and hinges. Do you see a circular, shiny piece of metal on the restroom stall door? That's the outside of the latch. Is there a piece of metal in front of the edge of the door, about an inch away. If so, the door swings in, toward the toilet.

Rather than memorizing each and every locale, you only have to memorize several characteristics. It takes very little, to know how a door will move, even if you have never "met" the door before. You'll instantly recognize whether or not the door can be kicked in or not.

We weren't really talking about stall doors, were we? What sequences would you be "likely to forget" in a street fight? When you are nervous and have to defend yourself, will you be able to react and respond without relying on "your memory?"

Was this article a little too subtle? For direct martial arts advice...

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Keith Pascal is a martial-arts writer and has taught martial arts for 25 years.

Source: www.articlecity.com